This invention relates to a combination food and beverage cooler with divided food and beverage compartment areas. The respective compartment areas are designed for separately containing a liquid beverage which can be dispensed directly from the compartment into a glass or cup, and items such as fruit, canned goods, canned drinks, and the like in a single portable cooler unit. The compartment areas are divided by a partition wall which has a recessed dish for housing a refreezable and detachable ice pack or "cooler pack." A tray insert is placed above the partition wall and over the cooler pack for holding the cooler pack relatively stable, and for separating the cooler pack from the items stored in the food compartment. The beverage compartment is defined by the area directly beneath the partition wall, and includes a drain/fill plug and dispenser tap.
Prior art coolers such as that disclosed by the Dungan Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,550, are inadequate for separately containing both food items and a non-contained beverage. The Dungan cooler has separate compartment areas located on either side of the cooler, as opposed to the top and bottom. Ice is placed in the side compartment area adjacent to the side beverage compartment, and within the same compartment as the food storage area. As is evident, this design presents a stability problem when the cooler is lifted and moved, since the weight distribution is extremely uneven. Additionally, a cooler of this type is not practical because of the limited food storage space above the ice needed to cool the beverage compartment.
Other conventional coolers, such as that manufactured by Coleman or Igloo, have commonly been used for containing only an otherwise non-contained beverage such as punch, cool-aid, etc. However, several problems exist in the use of these type coolers for this purpose. Ice used to chill the beverage usually melts over a relatively short period of time, and consequently acts to dilute and otherwise lessen the flavor of the beverage. Additionally, there are obvious problems of filling and dispensing the beverage from the cooler. Generally, one has to turn the entire cooler on its side in order to fill his/her cup. The cooler of the present invention provides an easy manner of filling and draining the beverage compartment area, and a tap dispenser for easily dispensing the beverage into a cup.
When a conventional cooler is packed with ice, canned drinks, and food, the food can become damp or soggy because of melted ice and improper food wrapping. A cooler according to the present invention eliminates this problem by providing a storage space for a self-contained, removable cooler pack. The cooler pack chills the cooler and remains in a relatively fixed positioned without melting over and dampening the cooler contents. Moreover, the cooler pack is refreezable, thus saving the expense of buying ice every time the cooler is used.
The size of the cooler, according to this invention, can be very large to separately accommodate food and beverage for numerous people, or quite small. Presently, industry workers, school children, and others who typically bring their lunch to work or school must carry both a thermos container and a lunch box for their drink and sandwich. This can be awkward and clumsy. Moreover, the conventional lunch box does not include a means for cooling the food compartment, nor does the thermos include a means for continuously chilling the beverage. This invention eliminates the need for individual containers by providing separate, cooled compartment areas for both food and beverage within the same, portable cooler.